WMU team finishes second in scrutineering at solar car race

KALAMAZOO—Western Michigan University's solar car, Sunseeker, has finished second in scrutineering at the Formula Sun Grand Prix 2013, the highest placement in scrutineering in its 23-year history.

WMU came in behind Illinois State University, while Oregon State University and Iowa State University finished third and fourth, repsectively.

Scrutineering is the inspection process by which all vehicle systems are evaluated, including the car's solar array, driver, vehicle size measurements and driver egress testing, electrical system, battery protection system, mechanical system and a series of driving tests. Sunseeker passed all of the seven scrutineering categories.

Sunseeker team

Members of the Sunseeker solar race team are in Austin, Texas, to compete against teams from other engineering colleges in the Formula Sun Grand Prix. A total of 12 collegiate teams from the United States and Canada are competing in the annual track race held on grand prix or road style closed courses.